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Congratulations to all clubs and paddlers who competed at this year’s State Championships.

Thank you to the multitude of people who volunteer their time throughout the year both at regattas and in preparation for regattas. This includes all of those who participate with finishing tower timing, marshalling, race starts, rescue boat, boat handling and other tasks, as well as coaches, team managers, people who have towed boats to the regattas, set up toggles, lifted boats onto trailers, ran the sausage sizzles, arranged raffle prizes, put up and took down tents, collected fees, paid fees, worked on club committees, and everyone else who has participated in their various ways to contribute to the DBWA regattas and our sport! If anyone has been missed, it is not intentional — THANK YOU EVERYONE!

Some great racing occurred in regatta #4! All the crews look stronger than they did at the start of the year — good work to all the club coaches who have been training everyone throughout the year, and to all the paddlers who have been working hard to do what their coaches ask of them!

The Forza club in Bunbury is hosting their annual regatta event on Saturday, 10 February 2018. As always, the regatta has a unique and fun race format, so be sure to read the information sheet and encourage your club members to enter a crew.

For those on the State Team, remember that there will be a training camp the following day (Sunday).

“The postponement of the 13th World Nations Dragon Boat Championships meant that athletes had an additional 3 months of training. Their focus, control and determination over this period allowed them to gain a high level of improvement both on and off the water since their selection camps. The overall results demonstrate the level of improvements since the Canada campaign. It was pleasing to see that several of the Premier paddlers who competed as U24s in Divonne-Les-Bain in July were able to use this experience to assist the Premiers in their amazing achievements”

The Premiers, Senior A, B, C paddlers were able to demonstrate in Kunming, China that they are the Future + the Heart & Soul of Australian Dragon Boating. They were able to grow on the ongoing spirit and passion of the AusDBF Auroras by showing that they do have One Heart, One Soul, One Team, and One Goal because they are Australia.

Results of the first DBWA regatta of the 2017/18 season are now available.

Please note the race times and results for the 2,000m race are on the document with ‘Race Times’ in the title. The final standings and points for the 200m races are listed in the ‘Race Results’ document.

Do you have concerns about trying out for the State Team? If so, read on!

Let’s address a few of those potential worries:

I don’t think I’m a good enough paddler to be on the State Team.

This is not uncommon. Many paddlers underestimate their own abilities and have self-doubts, even at the highest level of competition. However, these concerns are often exaggerated because it is very difficult for an individual to assess how well they paddle. Unlike other team sports, one cannot count the number of goals they made, or how many times they blocked a shot, or how fast they ran compared to everyone else. Chances are you are a better paddler than you realise. So give it a go and try out! If nothing else, you are likely to learn more about paddling and have a great time making new friends.

I’d like to try out, but I’m FIFO / going on a long holiday / I’ll miss a training camp, etc.

You should still give it a go and try out. Unless you are going to miss every training camp, or be on holiday for most of the season, this shouldn’t prohibit you from trying out and potentially being on the State Team. This especially applies to reasonably fit and experienced paddlers, who tend to pick up their technique and fitness quickly after being on a break. Give it a go — try out anyway! If you are selected for the team, there are options available to help you be ready when it comes time to race at the Nationals. Just give it a go.

I’m not sure if I can commit to the dates for the Nationals — I won’t know until my leave gets approved (or some other reason) and that won’t be until after the EOI closes

No one can ‘guarantee’ that they will be available for the Nationals, as unexpected things do happen, such as injuries, new jobs, cash flow issues and a host of other reasons. The question is whether you have best intentions of going to the Nationals — if you intend to do what you can to attend, and you are as committed as you can be in your own personal circumstances, then that is all that is asked of you. The most important thing is to communicate with the coaches so that if your circumstances do change, they can make crew adjustments.

I think I can paddle well enough, but the idea of doing a beep test and/or lifting weights freaks me out! I’m nervous about applying because I’m worried about the benchmarking tests.

Many people feel uncomfortable and concerned about the benchmarking tests the first time they are asked to do them. It’s a normal reaction, because it is outside of one’s comfort zone. You know how to paddle… so why are you being asked to do push ups?! Don’t worry! The push ups and other exercises are just so the coaches can get an idea of where everyone is at with their fitness. The coaches know it is only the start of the season and recognise that people may have been on winter break, or have no experience in the exercises. It’s totally okay! We all have to start somewhere, and the benchmarking gives the coaches the information to help them build and develop the team. So relax — people will help and encourage you during the exercises and it’s actually more fun (yes, fun!) than you would expect it to be.